Senate Republican introduces bill to end Department of Education 

Senator Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, has introduced a bill to terminate the federal Department of Education (DOE) and redistribute its funding directly to the states.

The legislation has drawn notice as a potential first step in bringing to fruition President-Elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to end the DOE.

Rounds attributed his legislation, the “Returning Education to Our States Act,” to his belief that “the federal Department of Education has never educated a single student,” adding, “we all know local control is best when it comes to education.” 

“For years, I’ve worked toward removing the federal Department of Education,” Rounds shared in a press release. “I’m pleased that President-elect Trump shares this vision, and I’m excited to work with him and Republican majorities in the Senate and House to make this a reality. 

“This legislation is a roadmap to eliminating the federal Department of Education by practically rehoming these federal programs in the departments where they belong, which will be critical as we move into next year.” 

While the bill would eliminate the DOE itself, it does not propose ending federal programs that currently operate through the agency. Rounds’ bill outlines other existing federal agencies that could house significant programs dealing with areas such as student loans, special education services and Native American services. 

The Democratic Party criticized Rounds’ proposed legislation.

“Between naming unqualified billionaire Linda McMahon education secretary and launching dangerous broadsides against education funding on the campaign trail, Trump has made crystal clear he’ll put our public schools at risk on day one,” said Alex Floyd, rapid response director for the Democratic National Committee. 

Rounds’ bill comes on the heels of Trump’s choice to nominate McMahon, a businesswoman and board chair of the America First Policy Institute, to head the DOE. The move predictably sparked the ire of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union, which called McMahon “grossly unqualified.”  

According to the DOE website, a federal education department was first established in 1867 under the administration of President Andrew Johnson; however, the agency was demoted the following year to an “office” due to concerns a department “would exercise too much control over local schools.” The DOE was reborn in 1979 by an act of Congress combining offices from existing federal agencies.